Just a quick one, again from pointed out by Scepticisle. The BBFC have had their ruling on the game Manhunt 2 overturned!

This issue was much greater than a game that was given a distinctly average rating, it was much more important to the core issue of liberties in this country, the hypocrisy of the BBFC as a regulatory body, and the influence of the god squad on personal choices in every day lives. I am not at all going to believe this will be the end of the issue as, like the television series "24", it will never ever die, but it is a great result for the time being.

By and large the subject is covered much better than I will be able to cover it by Scepticisle on his own blog, however I simply have to air as it is my right to do so about how much I feel that the original decision by the BBFC was outrageous. The appeal that has won is of course for the modified game, I am still disgusted that while we can pay good money to watch tripe such as Halloween (Rob Zombies version) we are not able to lay our hands on the unedited version of a game that pretty much depicts the same level of violence (and less degradation of women).

Lets take a look at what the BBFC said at the time of its first ban...

the Board's carefully considered view is that to issue a certificate to Manhunt 2, on either platform, would involve a range of unjustifiable harm risks, to both adults and minors, within the terms of the Video Recordings Act, and accordingly that its availability, even if statutorily confined to adults, would be unacceptable to the public.

The BBFC pretty much accepts in this statement that certification is a useless exercise. It damns itself by knowingly stating that this country either doesn't take enough notice of its certification scheme or that people in positions of power don't enforce it. But is this a reason to ban a game when there is still little proof that violent video games affect us any more than watching violent movies?

My obvious feeling is that it is no reason at all, that branding every adult in this country as irresponsible with minors and every store runner as law breakers is all that they have achieved with such an irrational and defensive verdict. I really have to ask how they have the gall to stand there as a body and tell any person over the age of 18 that they will not be able to view or play a game in a way that is within the confines of the law. Of course the god squad have argued for plenty of time that the law needs to change to outlaw such "entertainment", and for as much as I hate their illiberal molly coddling of the general public at large I have to at least commend the more extreme of them for going about it in a much more sensible and logical manner

The truth is that really sad thing about the result announced is that 3 out of the 7 voting at the appeal agreed with the BBFC, ludicrous enough in itself, but that...I feel...is for another blog post.